Key bettor's role debated in Clase trial

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase is on trial in federal court in New York, charged with bribery to influence sporting contests. Prosecutors allege that Clase, a two-time American League Reliever of the Year, manipulated 18 pitches as part of a betting scheme. Teammate Luis Ortiz is also alleged to have manipulated two pitches during the 2025 season. Both men have pleaded not guilty since their arrests last fall.

Prosecutor Rebecca Urquiola, giving the opening statement at the well-known courthouse in Brooklyn, described the two pitchers as "cheaters." According to the prosecution, Clase used coded language to conceal what the pitches were really about. The defense said those conversations were not code but ordinary chats about cockfighting, which is legal in the Dominican Republic. Clase's attorney, Michael Bronson, stated that the messages were not "code words."

The most striking part of the trial has centered on a bettor named Enoc Pena. Court documents list him as a possible prosecution witness, and the defense has targeted him. Ortiz's attorney, Samuel E. Landes, claimed that Pena lied on his tax returns, loan applications and immigration forms. At a hearing last week, prosecutors said they may not call Pena as a witness in the trial. According to Landes, Pena placed more than 7,000 bets and wagered at least $725,000 in total.

According to the prosecution, bettors linked to the scheme won at least $450,000 in total from the pitches. A person connected to Clase placed more than 150 bets on the speed of a single pitch by Clase and won 98 of them. Roughly $95,000 in net profit was reported from these bets. A person referred to in court documents as "Bettor-1" is alleged to have sent other bettors a screenshot of a conversation with Clase. In the exchange, Clase reportedly referred to "Chicken Number 3" and wrote, "After you kill the first 2, bet on the 3."